Athletics at the 1988 Summer Olympics – Men's 100 meters
| Men's 100 meters at the Games of the XXIV Olympiad
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| Date | 23 & 24 September | ||||||||||||
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Carl Lewis |
 United States
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Linford Christie |
 Great Britain
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Calvin Smith |
United States
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The Men's 100 Meters at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea – frequently dubbed "the dirtiest race in history" – ended in controversy after Canada's Ben Johnson defeated defending champion Carl Lewis from the United States with a world record time of 9.79s, topping his own record of 9.83s that he set at the 1987 World Championships in Athletics in Rome. Two days later, Johnson was stripped of his gold medal by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) when his post-race drug test indicated steroid use. His record time of 9.79 seconds was also erased. The gold medal for the 100 meters was awarded to Lewis, who ran 9.92s. Later, the world record Johnson held prior to the Olympics was also rescinded and Lewis' time in this race became the official world record, breaking the 9.93 mark that Calvin Smith set in 1983 and Lewis had tied twice since. Smith had participated in this race as well and finished fourth, but was elevated to third place and given the bronze medal behind Lewis and Linford Christie of the United Kingdom, the original bronze medal winner that moved up to silver. The other participants in this race, in order of finish, were Dennis Mitchell of the United States, who would go on to win the bronze medal in this event in Barcelona; Robson da Silva of Brazil, who won the bronze in the 200 meters in Seoul; Johnson's teammate Desai Williams, a bronze medalist in the 4 x 100 meter relay in Los Angeles four years earlier; and Ray Stewart of Jamaica, who won a silver medal in the same relay at the Los Angeles Olympics.
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